Posts Tagged soccer shopping guide

Welcome to part two of our soccer goal buyers guide. If you missed part one of this guide, choosing a class, then you can go back and start with that one by clicking here. If you have already read part one then get ready for more great hints and ideas as to how to shop for the right soccer goal for your soccer player at home. This part covers size. When it comes to soccer goal size there are two factors to go over, the first is, how old is the child for whom you are buying the soccer goal? The second is, how much space do you have?

Young Soccer Player - Image courtesy of heraldpost

How Old is the Person Getting the Gift?

In order to determine which goal size is right for your child it is important to know which common sizes are available and for what ages they were intended, from smallest to largest the common sizes are:

3′ H x 4′W, intended for training and for use by toddler and nursery school ages.

4′H x 6′W, intended for training all ages, or for games with 5 and 6 year olds.

4′H x 8′W, intended for games with 5 and 6 year olds.

4.5′H x 9′W, intended for games with 6 and 7 year olds.

5′H x 10′W, intended for games with 6 and 7 year olds.

6′H x 12′W, intended for games with 8 and 9 year olds. Common backyard goal size.

6.5′H x 12′, intended for games with 8 and 9 year olds.

6.5′ H x 18′W, intended for games with 10 and 11 year olds.

7′H x 21′W intended for games with 12 and 13 year olds.

8′H x 24′W regulation size soccer goal, intended for ages 14 and up.

Obviously, the size and ages shown here are based on guidelines set out by soccer organizations and soccer governing bodies across the globe, but when it comes to the size of goal that will suit your child you do not have to follow this list. If you buy the most common backyard goal size (6′ x 12′) your child will enjoy it whether they are 6 or 19 years old. But the list above might help you narrow down which size is ideal.

How Big is Your Yard?

Two Deers Visit a Soccer Yard - Courtesy of billhd

When setting up a soccer goal at home, the most important factor is distance from the goal. The amount of space that is free on either side of the goal is also a factor, but in the end, if your yard is wide enough to fit 21 feet, then you can have a 7′H x 21′ goal provided that the shooting distance in your backyard is worthwhile. So we will share a different list here that covers a recommended distance to goal size ratio for your yard in order to determine an ideal size for you. Note that you will need to add 2 yards to each of the numbers below just to give running room for the soccer shot approach.

3′ H x 4′W, generally used by kids just learning to kick, distance can be as little as 2 yards.

4′H x 6′W, stronger kids need more space, but with a small goal not too much distance is needed in order to have a challenging and fun experience, distance can be as little as 5 yards.

4′H x 8′W, slightly bigger goal for the same age group needs more space to make it fun, distance can be as little as 7 yards.

4.5′H x 9′W, kids using this size goal may have some pop, and the goal is starting to approach a more realistic game size, distance should be at least 10 yards.

5′H x 10′W, slightly larger goal for the same age group, also needs at least 10 yards of shooting distance.

6′H x 12′W, a fair sized soccer goal meant for kids who might be able to use it. There should be a distance of at least 12 yards to make this goal size worthwhile.

6.5′H x 12′, distance of about 12 to 15 yards.

6.5′ H x 18′W, once the goal starts to get to about this size or bigger, the fun comes in finding difficult angles, playing against someone else, or trying to score from a distance. So you should have a solid distance of about 20 yards or more and if possible, there should be 5 or more yards of clearance on either side of the goal.

7′H x 21′W, very similar to what was just described previously, only the kids will probably be bigger and stronger and will therefore need a little bit more space. Keep a distance of at least 25 yards and if possible, 5 yards of clearance on either side of the goal.

8′H x 24′W, as this is a regulation sized goal, it could be used by players with the potential to be very strong, so the distance should be 30 yards and if possible, keep 7 yards of clearance on either side of the goal.

As stated earlier, these are just guidelines to help narrow down your search for a properly sized soccer goal, in the end factors like growth of the child, moving your home and so on can make it necessary to fudge these numbers a bit. Either way, we hope this portion of the guide was helpful. The next part of this gift shopping guide will go over choosing the right model of soccer goal.